Here's what you must know before eating another potato

Once a staple on western dinner tables, the potato has been shunned as a high-carb food outcast for the last couple of years. But if you simply can't resist the simple pleasure of the potato, here's what you must know…

It seems the potato can’t shake off criticism and being shunned for being a high-carb food by most people trying to avoid carbs. As a result, according to Dr Jonathan Wright of Nutrition & Healing, farmers driven by desperation are now trying to introduce a new “low-carb” potato to the market.

But if you can’t resist indulging on potatoes, you might reconsider the temperature at which you eat it, rather than turning to a genetically altered variety.

Here’s why…

What you must take into account before eating another potato

The biggest sin of potatoes and many other high-carb foods is their high ranking on the glycaemic index. While all foods impact your glucose levels when consumed, high-glycaemic index foods affect it more than others.

Factors like fibre, protein and fat content, how much it has been processed and the way it is cooked all impact the glycaemic index of a given food.

This said, some researchers have proposed that a possible fourth factor could be the temperature at which the given food is served.

According to Dr Wright, “a recent study measured blood glucose, insulin, cholesterol and triglyceride levels before and three hours after eating hot boiled potatoes, boiled potatoes that had been cooled and that glucose spiking standby, white bread.”

Researchers found that the glycaemic index of the hot potatoes exceeded that of the white bread, but was significantly lower when the potatoes were served cool.

It’s important to note that these results may not be limited to the potato alone. There are food wars raging already about whether cooked food or raw food is better for your health.

For instance, some proponents of cooked foods say that limiting your diet to raw foods can rob your body of healthy foods that are only edible when cooked. But raw food advocates believe that cooking foods taints their nutritional value and any food that cannot be eaten raw, shouldn‘t be eaten at all.

Now you can add temperature to the debate the next time you’re eating a potato.

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